Israel and Syria are much further away from reaching a deal than it appears, according to a former ambassador who suggested that stable peace between Damascus and Jerusalem may be a far way off.
Speaking at a Middle East Institute event on Wednesday, former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf, who was also a former ambassador to Syria, said Israel’s actions have consistently hurt peace prospects over the past year.
“It does not feel to me that we are close,” said Ms. Leaf, who was the first U.S. diplomat to visit Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad’s regime. “And Israel continues to do things to inspire ugly feelings in the public you don’t want.”
Israel and Syria have been engaged in U.S.-brokered negotiations for months, with Washington and Damascus hoping to establish a firm security agreement between the two countries that would create a buffer zone in Syria’s southern territories.
U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, have been deeply involved in the negotiations.
Ms. Leaf said the U.S. should continue to put pressure on Israel during ongoing talks, in the hopes that Jerusalem will get behind President Trump’s agenda of supporting Syria during its rebuilding period.
Reports earlier this year indicated that the two sides were very close to an agreement and were planning on finalizing the deal at the U.S. General Assembly in September. However, Israeli negotiators apparently laid out last-minute demands, including a massive security corridor in Syria’s southern province, that were nonstarters.
Former Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford, who was the last U.S. ambassador to the country before the Syrian civil war broke out, added that the U.S. should strengthen its diplomatic presence in Syria to support reunification efforts. However, Mr. Ford stressed that Syrians should be capable of creating a stable nation themselves.
The remarks from former U.S. ambassadors come as new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa looks to ease relations with his neighbors and solidify his rule one year after the fall of the Assad government.
Since coming to power last December, Mr. al-Sharaa has insisted that Syria does not want Israel as its enemy and has opened the door to U.S.-backed negotiations to reestablish the 1974 borders under a new security agreement.
However, Israeli leaders have expressed deep skepticism about Mr. al-Sharaa, who previously was the leader of a Syrian-based al-Qaeda affiliate. Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 1,000 airstrikes in the country and over 400 ground incursions. Jerusalem has insisted that the operations are intended to protect Druze minority members in Syria’s southern Sweida province, eliminate terrorists and seize weapons that threaten Israel’s security.
